Dispenser for collapsible tubes having tube-squeezing rollers



Fi ur Patented Mar. 2, 1954 umrao srarss PATENT OFFICE .DISRENSEE B- GOLLA PSIBLE TUBES HAVING TUBE-S QUEEZiNG ROLLERS We? Qlouse, Helena, Mont. Applicati n November 24, 1950,.5er1alNo. 19 7,356

within the cases.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser for collapsible tunes wherein the carriage is movable a stepby-step manner in the outer case through the medium of pawls on the carriage and toothed bars in the outer case engaging the pawls to gether with a manually actuated mechanism connected to the pawls for disengaging the paw-ls with the bars. Yet another object of the present invention "is to provide a dispenser of the-aforementioned character including a pair of gripping blocks that will grip the closed end of a collapsible tube and which will prevent upsurge of the rollers as the outer case is moved from the inner case.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser for collapsible tubes involving a pair o1 separable housing forming members that are quickly and readily assembled or disassembled for cleaning and for the insertion 1 of or removal of a collapsible tube from the housing forming membe A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a dispenser for collapsible tubes that is simple and practical in construction, strong and reliable in use, small and compact in .structure, neat and attractive in appearance, inex pensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, refer-' ence ibeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the present invention and with parts broken away for the convenience of explanation;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken sub stantially on the plane of section line 29-1 of Figure 3; I

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view taken sub stantially on the plane or section line a: or

;plates 4,!) and 42, and fixedly Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line :44 of Figure 2; and, I

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view takensubstantially on the plane of section line i- S of Figure 4.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein -for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral 4o represents-a housing composed of an upper and outer elongated case 1*! and a lower and inner shallow case M.

The lower edges of the vertical walls forming the case 12 are provided with vertical slots It ho-tween their inner and outer faces that slidahly receive the relatively thin vertical walls of the lower case M. Dogs 18 are pivoted on the side walls of the outer case and include ends 20 that extend through openings 22 in the side walls of the outer ease and into vertical slots, 24 provided in the side walls of the lower case to limit sliding movement of the outer case from the inner case.

Spring seats 26 are provided on the inner face of the hottom wall for the "lower case M and receive the lower ends of coil springs 28. The upper ends of the coil springs 28 are positioned in additional spring seats 318 that are integrally formed with the side walls of the outer case 12. The springs 28 yieldingly urge the upper case it raised from the lower case with the ends 2-0 of the dogs 18 against the upper edges of the slots 24.

Horizontal guide channels 32 on the .bottom wall of the lower case '94 receive the horizontal legs of angle brackets '34 that are apertured to receive fasteners whereby the outer case is secured to a supporting structural member, such as a wall.

The side walls-of the outer case #2 are provided with forward and rear vertical grooves 35 and as that slidably receive the ends of forward and rear substantially rectangular plates do and 42. The plates '40 and 4,2 are joined by crosslates 4'4 and 46 and the plates 40, 42, 44 and 46 form a carriage that is slidable vertically within the upper fifi A pair 01' horizontal pivots 48 and 5.0 are retatably supported on the plates 49 and 42,. The pivots l8 and 50 extend rearwardly through the support pawls 52 and Toothed bars 56 and 58 are integrally gel-med with the side walls of the upper case and include d wnwardly inclined teeth that see iectively engage the pawls 52, 5Q.

64, respectively, by pitmans or links 12 and 14,

so that as the knob 16, attached to the forward end of the shaft 68 is rotated to raise the arrow, thereon, the pawls 52 and 54 will be raised away from the bars 56 and 58.

linger on a finger grip I80 on the case l2 if necessary.

As the outer and upper case I2 is lowered toward the lower case M, the rollers 90 will ride against the tube and urge the blocks 96 into clamping engagement with the tube so that when the outer case is released, the bars 56, 58 will ratchet past the pawls 52, 54. Therefore, each time the outer case is lowered and released, the

carriage will move downwardly a slight amount within the outer case until all the contents of the tube has been discharged.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as 1 new is:

A vertical tubular member or sleeve 18 extends downwardly through the bottom wall of the lower case M and its lower end is normally closed by a spring urged vertically swingable closure 80 that is pivotally mounted on the bottom wall of the lower case. The upper end of the sleeve 18 is embraced by a resilient, preferably rubber sleeve 82 having an internally threaded upper end that receivably engages the threaded neck of a 001- lapsible tube T to support the tube T within the upper and lower cases I2 and M. v

The carriage C and more specifically the forward and rear plates 40 and 42 are formed with downwardly converging upper and lower slots.

84 and 86. The slots 84 slidably receive the ends of roller shafts 88 on which rollers 98 are mounted; The forward and rear ends of the shafts 88 project through the plates 40 and 42, and are joined by looped springs 92 whose ends terminate in hooks that embrace ,the forward and rear ends of th shafts 88 to urge the shafts 88 downwardly in the slots 84 and the rollers .90 toward each other and against the closed end E of the tube T that extends upwardly between the two rollers.

The slots 86 slidably receive protuberances or lugs 94 on the ends of a pair of gripping blocks 96 having serrated inner faces for gripping the closed end of the tube T and concave lower faces conforming to the curvature of the rollers 88. The concav faces of the blocks 96 provide a frictional area for the rollers 90 and therefore prevent upsurge of the rollerscaused by spring load returning ratchet racks 56, 58 to their normal position. The upper faces of the blocks 98 are so shaped as to permit a persons thumb being used to relieve lock pressure by outward movement.

In practical use of th present invention, the inner case M is first mounted upon a supporting structure by the brackets 34 or by suction caps attached to the inner case M. The upper ends of the dogs [8 are then forced toward the side walls of the upper case to move the ends 28 out of the slots 24 and permit removal of the upper case from the lower case by raising the upper case from the lower case.

The neck of a tube T, after the usual cap is removedfrom the tube, is threaded in the sleeve 82 and the upper case is applied to the lower case with the closed end of the tube passing upwardly between the rollers 98 and the blocks 96.

A toothbrush is grasped by the users hand and inserted in the swivel 98 depending from the forward wall of the upper case l2. The cap 80 is moved manually to its open position and the upper case is lowered by a downward pressure of the toothbrush against the swivel and by additional downwardpressure onthe users 1. A dispenser for collapsible tubes comprising a-lower'inner case, an upper outer case slidably carried by the inner case, means mounted on said inner case for attaching the inner case to a supporting structure, a sleeve carried by the inner case for engaging the neck of a collapsible tube to support the tube in an upright position within both cases, a carriage slidably mounted in the outer case, a pair of tube squeezing rollers carried by the carriage for receiving the closed end of a tube therebetween and adapted to depress the tube and force a paste from the tube during movement of the carriage toward the sleeve, and means for locking the carriage to the outer case for lowering of the carriage with the outer case, said carriag including forward and rear plates each having a pair of downwardly converging slots therein receiving said rollers, and spring means joining said rollers and urging the rollers toward each other.

2. A dispenser for collapsible tubes comprising a lower inner case, an upper outer case slidably carried by the inner case, means mounted on said inner case for attaching the inner case to a supporting structure, a sleeve carried by the inner case for engaging the neck of a collapsible tube to support the tube in an upright position within both cases, a carriage slidably mounted in the outer case, a pair of tube squeezing rollers carried by the carriage for receiving the closed end of a .tube therebetween and adapted to depress a tube supported by the sleeve to force paste from the tube throughthe sleeve during movement of the carriage toward the sleeve, spring means biased between said inner and outer cases and urging said cases apart, stop means limiting sliding movement of said case from each other, a pair of toothed vertical bars within the outer case and including downwardly inclined teeth, and a pair of pawls pivoted on said carriage and inclining upwardly from the carriage and engaging the teeth of said bars to retain the carriage in a selected moved position, and means carried by the carriage and connected to the pawls for releasing the pawls from the bars.

3. The combination of claim 2 whereinsaid means for releasing the pawls includes a horizontal shaft rotatably supported by said carriage, said outer casing having a vertical slot slidably receiving the shaft, an upstanding arm on said shaft, a depending arm on the shaft, a first pitman connecting the upstanding arm to one pawl, and a second pitman connecting the depending arm to the other pitman.

4. A dispenser for collapsible tubes comprising a lower inner case, an outer upper case slidably carried by the inner case, means carried by the inner case for attaching the inner case to a supporting structure, a dispensing sleeve mounted within. the inner case for engaging the neck of a collapsible tube to support the tube in an up.-

right position in both cases, spring means between the cases urging the outer case raised from the inner case, stop means limiting upward sliding movement of the outer case from the inner case, a carriage slidable vertically within the outer case, a pair of vertical bars within the outer case and including downwardly inclined teeth, a pair of vertically swingable pawls mounted on the carriage and inclining upwardly and outwardly from the carriage and engaging a tooth of each bar to permit downward movement of th carriage with the outer case, a pair of spaced parallel horizontal tube gripping and squeezing rollers mounted on the carriage for receiving the closed end of a collapsible tube supported within the cases, manually operated means on said carriage and connected to said pawls for moving the pawls out of engagement with said teeth, said rollers being slidable downwardly and inwardly on said carriage toward each other, means connecting and urging the rollers toward ach other, and means slidably carried by said carriage and engaging said rollers to prevent upsurge of said rollers as the outer case is raised by the spring means after the outer case and carriage have been lowered relative to the inner case.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said last named means includes a pair of gripping blocks having concave faces contacting said rollers, said blocks having inner toothed faces for gripping a collapsible tube passing upwardly between said rollers.

6. A dispenser for collapsible tubes comprising a lower inner case,

an outer upper case slidably carried by the inner case, means carried by the inner case for attaching the inner case to a supporting structure, a dispensing sleeve mounted within the inner case for engaging the neck of a collapsible tube to support the tube in an upright position in both cases, spring means between the cases urging the outer case raised from the inner case, a carriage slidable vertically within the outer case, means between the carriage and the outer case for vertically adjusting the carriage within the outer case, said means including a pair of pawls on said carriage and vertically spaced teeth on said outer case, a pair of spaced parallel horizontal tube gripping and squeezing rollers mounted on the carriage for receiving the closed end of a collapsible tube supported within the cases, manually operated means on said carriage and connected to said pawls for moving the pawls out of engagement with said teeth, said rollers being slidable downwardly and inwardly on said carriage toward each other, means connecting and urging the rollers toward each other, and means slidably carried by said carriage and engaging said rollers to prevent upsurge of said rollers as the outer case is raised by the spring means after the outer case and carriage have been lowered relative to the inner case.

LEWIS J. CLOUSE.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 466,491 Great Britain May 25, 1937 602,639 Great Britain May 31, 1948 

